When the news of endorsement of the duo of Governor Sule Lamido and his counterpart in Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi by former President; Olusegun Obasanjo to run in 2015 for the post of President and Vice, under the umbrella of the ruling People’s Democratic Party [PDP], a mixed reaction greeted the information. Though, Obasanjo later denied endorsing both men.
The truth of the matter is that Lamido/Amaechi 2015 ticket has elicited interest from many quarters. Of note however is that political scientists, researchers and analysts have directed attention to Sule Lamido as a person, ostensibly to see his marketability. But in truth, is this man, Sule Lamido marketable in all ramifications as far as Nigeria Presidency is concerned? The answer to this question is simply YES.
Politically conscious Nigerians as well as political scientists will easily tell you on enquiry that Obasanjo himself became President of Nigeria two times not because he put food on the tables of Nigerians, but simply on account of his nationalistic inclination, to start with. He is also seen in many quarters as probably the only man, South-West of Nigeria that has no iota of tribal proclivity in his official engagements. If this writer may ask, was Obasanjo overwhelmingly voted for by Nigerians on the basis of his performance from 1976-79 in 1999? The fact here is that his Nationalistic leaning made the difference for him when his people rejected him. Yes, performance in office can lead to acceptability, but that alone cannot guarantee one the exalted position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Background political check on Sule Lamido.
Effectively Lamido entered politics as a member of People’s Redemption Party [PRP] in second republic. He can be said to have schooled in Mallam Aminu Kano’s politics of the Talakawas. Being a member of a political party that followed order, one can easily tell where he is coming from. He became the National Secretary of Social Democratic Party [SDP] during the third republic; this also illuminated his progressive tendency in Nigeria political setup. It is on record that when General Sani Abacha unfolded plan to return Nigeria to democratic path, Lamido pitched his tent with Social Progressive Party [SPP], and became the National Secretary of the new party. Record has it that he was imprisoned in 1998 by Abacha for criticizing Abacha’s plan to perpetuate himself in office. Under Abdulsalam Abubaker midwife transition programme, Lamido became a member of Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in 1998. He contested for Governorship position of Jigawa State 1999 elections and narrowly lost to All Peoples Party [APP] candidate, Saminu Turaki.
In June 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo as he then was appointed Lamido, Foreign Affairs Minister. For the brief period he was in charge of Foreign Affairs Ministry, he gave a good account of himself. Speaking at the United Nations in November 2001, Lamido described the corrosive impact of corruption on new democracies such as Nigeria, and called for “an international instrument” against transfer of looted funds abroad. In March 2003, Lamido reacted to a claim by Governor Turaki of Jigawa State that the Federal government had neglected the state, calling on him to account for the way in which he had spent federal funding.
In April 2007, Lamido contested and won the governorship election in Jigawa State. In June 2007, Lamido accused new generation banks of helping state governors to loot their treasuries, and called for tighter regulations. In July 2007 Lamido announced plans to spend N2 billion in the next six months on education, using the money to rebuild schools and provide basic teaching materials. The state also invested N450 million naira for training teachers teaching core courses in junior secondary schools. He initiated major construction programs, led by the Dutse Capital Development Authority and the Jigawa State Housing Authority. In September 2009 Lamido offered to provide free plots of land and basic infrastructure to investors in the tourism and hospitality business in Jigawa State. In December 2009 Lamido announced a plan by which beggars would be given a basic monthly payment to stay off the streets.
Sule Lamido Nationalistic Stands On National Issues In Perspective
It is a well known fact that when it became obvious to everybody that Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was on his way out of power on account of ill-health, Nigerians knew there was going to be dangerous scheming for power that needed management by well meaning leaders. But in a system where every well meaning Nigerian was an interested party as it were then, presented a tricky scenario; that was exactly what happened in the run-up to 2011 general elections in Nigeria. Of note here is the stabilizing role played by Governor Sula Lamido in the period under review. On the issue of opposition to President Goodluck Jonathan .by a section of Northern elite before and after the primary election of PDP, Lamisdo’s utterances stand him out as a stabilizer per excellence. Hear vintage Sule Lamido: if Northern Muslims could insist that President Jonathan, a Southern Christian, should not be President, then, there is a need to divide Nigeria and let each zone determine its direction. “The point is they are using such sentiments to destroy the North. What is politics all about? Following your opinion. But for someone to say one must abide by his opinion no matter how is wrong. People should be allowed to do what they want. If that is the case, we should divide the country so that we could have the section for Christians and that of the Muslims,” This writer wonders what would have been the fate of 2011 elections in the North if Sule Lamido and his likes were not there.
Perhaps, Sule Lamidod’s position on zoning of Presidency in 2011 could be seen as the most forceful argument from the North and may have been largely responsible for realistic assessment of position by the elites from the zone. Again, this is what he said: “We should know that this issue of zoning, out of about 60 political parties, this zoning issue is for the PDP alone. It does not bother those in the ANPP, CPC or ANC. But because of the circumstance we found ourselves, it has become a general issue. Now they are denouncing the PDP but the fact is that they cannot change anything. “Look at what happened in Kano during the ANPP, there was this boy called Ibrahim Little. For many years he was the only major figure in the ANPP but in the end they forcefully rejected him. Look at how Abacha’s son joined a party within two months and seized everything. So those people, what they are doing, they feel is what everybody is doing. Democracy has a universal definition but then it has no universal application. The application of democracy is beyond the definition. When you are talking of zoning or no zoning, Nigeria is a democracy and should be able to apply democracy to her comfort. Zoning is a kind of mechanism. The application of zoning is based on the existing realities.
The needless tension and noise that greeted General Mohammadu Buhari’s alleged threat in Hausa language that if 2015 election is rigged, blood will flow, will not have occurred if the view of Lamido was sought. Hear him on rigging and 2015: I am not saying that Buhari is not a democrat going by his comments, No, it is not the issue of being a democrat. It’s the issue of self-gratification, because what he is saying is beyond human comprehension. How do you rig election, where we won, he said there was no election. Then how did we win? He won in the entire north yet he said he didn’t win, that his supporters were chased away, they were not voting him. So what is the purpose? On 2015 elections, Lamido further said, Buhari used a Hausa idiom, Kare jini biri, jinni. This is Hausa proverb which simply means that if dog keeps on pestering the monkey, one day the monkey will fight back and both will sustain bloody injuries. Buhari has taken the Hausas hostage. He can’t go to the south and ask them to fight for him; he can’t go to the west and ask them to fight. Will Bakare fight for Buhari in the west? Will people in the east fight for Buhari because he loses an election? Even the Idomas, people from the middle belt will they fight for Buhari because he lost an election? Who are those he is asking to fight? The Hausas. So the rest of Nigeria is wishing us luck on how we are killing each other. From what he said it means Hausas should be killing one another. I don’t see any Igbo man dying because of Buhari, not even Tony Momoh the CPC chairman or Bakare the pastor, I don’t see them dying because Buhari did not win an election. Even the Yorubas cannot die for Buhari. He is asking the Hausas to kill one another.
Those who are talking about Jonathan now have no idea how he became a vice president and how he became the president and what transpired within the governors to make him the president. So people are talking about Jonathan the finished product and not the raw material. And they are free to appropriate him, to localise him. Was that how he emerged, were they the ones who voted him, were they the ones who made him the VP. These people, who are now talking, were they the ones who made him the vice president, had they any input. When he became the president, had they any idea that he was going to run in 2011. We will not allow anybody to appropriate or create a local president for their own locality; we are looking for the Nigerian president. Not president of the Nigerian Hausas, the president of the Nigerian Yorubas, the president of the Nigerian Igbo, the president of the Nigerian Urhobos or the Munchis. We are looking for a Nigerian president whether Yoruba or Igbo. Jonathan is a president of Nigerian consensus. Nigerians made him. Jonathan symbolizes Nigeria because he is a creation of all Nigerians across all divides. Jonathan is not the president of the Urhobos, Jonathan is Nigerian president and therefore nobody should appropriate him. Now whatever is going to happen by 2015 is going to be by the same Nigerian consensus.
On issue of corruption Sule Lamido calls it a national phenomenon. In an interview, he said: “Again, you are speaking like typical Nigerians. You are also part of the Nigerian crisis. People in the National Assembly, government houses, in the Armed Forces, in the police, in the market, in the universities are all drawn from the Nigerian environment. So, when we are speaking about corruption, why don’t you do some kind of reflection? Are we upright? “It is a very serious problem. It is not an issue of Farouk, it is a Nigerian crisis. Are you upright? People take you and try to make money out of you. If you go to market to buy oranges, they put big ones on top and the little ones under.“When the media go to get news, they play it up. So, all of us as a people, what do we do? Why don’t we begin to define some standard upon which we can begin to operate? What do we do as a people? Corruption is a national phenomenon. Everybody has to be able to say yes, ‘I will not do it.”
On insecurity in Nigeria occasioned by Boko Hara menace, Lamido warns against sectionalizing the problem. Hear him: “Stop looking at this thing in isolation. You are facing a wider problem of national security in the country and therefore, no place will be secure if one part is not secure. Nobody will be secure in the north if people in the south are not secure and vice versa. “Even the pressmen should be able to raise the debate in a more serious way that we don’t trivialize and make it sectional or give them compartmentalized localities. No. It is more holistic. “Today, security has gone beyond what you call sovereign security. It is now security from fear. It is for all of us. The country is going through a lot of problem. Therefore it needs our understanding, our unity and our patience to be able to rescue ourselves from our misdemeanor. “How do you become free from fear? It is by passing information, by being law abiding, by being cooperative, by doing everything to entrench national security in our statement, in whatever we say. There must be some circumspection in what we do and whatever we say.”
Clearly then, Sule Lamido stands head and shoulder higher than his pears with respect to consideration on Presidency. His curriculum vitae speak for itself. He has never been controversially sectional in politics, his position on National issues are faultless. He does not maintain double standard in politics. But one thing is certain about Lamido, he is not the one that can be stampeded into presidential contest. Just like he said, NIGERIAN CONSENSUS will determine 2015; however, SULE LAMIDO IS A GOOD CANDIDATE FROM THE NORTH!
Emeka Oraetoka
Information Management Consultant& Political Researcher
Wrote in from Abuja. P.O Box 18928
